Lightweighting Aircraft Bracket Design: How Potez Aéronautique Achieved Major Weight Savings

One of the most effective strategies is structural lightweighting—removing unnecessary material while maintaining strength and safety. However, conventional CAD tools often fall short, leading to design limitations, inefficiencies, and costly iterations. Thus, Cognitive Design serves as a powerful enabler, helping to overcome these challenges by unlocking new possibilities in optimization and manufacturability.

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In collaboration with Potez Aéronautique, a leading aerostructure supplier, we leveraged Cognitive Design's capabilities to optimize a critical aircraft structural bracket. By integrating topology optimization workflow, Simulation-Driven Design, and Manufacturing-Driven Design within a single environment, we successfully reduced engineering lead time threefold and achieved a 30% weight reduction compared to an optimized bracket for machining.

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in this case study, discover how Potez Aéronautique accelerated development, enhanced performance, and minimized manufacturing risks with our cutting-edge design approach.​

The optimized part

The outcomes

Performances:

30% compared to optimization for Machining

8% stress reduction after Topology optimization

Engineering lead time reduction:

28 hours (3 times faster than traditional CAD methods)​​

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The workflow in Cognitive Design

• Topology optimization workflow
• Simulation-Driven Design
• Manufacturing-Driven Design
• Back to CAD